Extension car-step.



A. CABELL.

EXTENSION CAR STEP. APPLICATION man JULY 1|. 191s.

Patented Oct. 24,1916.

2 SHEETSSHEET I WITNESSES.-

A. CABELL.

EXTENSION CAR STEP.

APPLICATION FILED JULY n. 1916.

Patented Oct. 24,1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 WITNESSES:

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ARTHUR CABELL, OF TACOMA, WASHINGTON.

EXTENSION CAR-STEP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Uct. 2-1, 1916.

Application filed July 11, 1916. Serial No. 109,807.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR GABELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Tacoma, in the county of Pierce and State of Washington, have invented new and useful Improvements in Extension Gar-Steps, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in car step extensiOns and the object of this improvement is to provide an extensible car step to be used in connection with the steps of ordinary railway or interurban coaches, such step being connected with suitable mechanism and being so mounted that it may be quickly and easily extended for use or withdrawn beneath the steps of the coach where it will be out of sight and out of the way when not in use.

The invention consists in the novel construction of actuating and guiding mecha nism for an extension car step and in the adaptation and combination of such mechanism with the steps of railway coaches as will be more clearly described in the following specification, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and finally pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure I. is a view in elevation of my extension car step as it may appear installed on a railway coach the step being shown in an extended position; Fig. 11. is a view in perspective of a guide member embodied in the device; Fig. 111. is a view in cross section on broken line 3, 3 of Fig. I. and Fig. IV. is a similar view in cross section with the step withdrawn.

Referring to the drawings throughout which like reference numerals indicate like parts the numeral 5 indicates the vestibule of a railroad coach which is provided with steps 6 of a well known form that may be secured to the sill 7 of the coach as illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4.

8 is an extension step secured to angular brackets 9 that are rigidly connected by a cross bar 10 which projects outwardly there from at both ends and works within guides 11 and 12 that are fixedly secured in any desired manner to the vestibule frame and serve to support the step. The outer end of the cross bar 10 is rigidly connected with one end of a link 13 that has its other end articulated with the lower end of a lever arm 11 and serves to move the step 8 along the line of the guides 11 and 12 when the lever arm is moved. The lever arm 14 is fulcrumed on a pivot 15 on the vestibule 5, extends upwardly past a quadrant 16 that is secured to the fioor of the vestibule, and is provided with spring actuated plunger mechanism 17 for engaging the quadrant whereby the lever may be held in a desired fixed position.

18 is an angularly disposed supporting brace that is fixedly secured at one end to the link 13 and at the other end to the cross bar 10 adjacent the inner end thereof and serves as a support for the inner end of the step, the brace 18 together with the cross bar 10 and link 13 forming a rigid triangular structure as more clearly shown in Fig. 1, that supports the step for movement lengthwise of the guides 11 and 12.

In operation the extension step 8 when lowered forms an additional step below the last step of the car vestibule and is supported in this position by the link 13 and guides 11 and 12 which engage the cross bar 10 when the step is lowered. When the step is to be raised the lever 1 1 is moved into position shown in Fig. l, thus moving the cross bar 10 upwardly along the guides 11 and 12 and lifting the extension step 8 up under the car steps 6 where it is out of sight and out of the way. When the extension step is extended the lever 14: is released from en gagement with the quadrant 16 and the weight of the step will automatically cause it to move downward into the extended position as shown in Fig. 3.

Obviously changes in the detail of construction may be resorted to without sacrificing any of the advantages of this inven tion, as for instance the link 13 which may be formed integral with the cross bar 10.

What I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. The combination with the steps of a railway coach, of an extension step, angular brackets provided on said extension step, a cross bar fixedly secured to said brackets, angular guides associated with said cross bar, and leverage means for moving said cross bar lengthwlse of sald guides to retract said extension step.

2. The combination with the steps of a railway coach, of an extension step having angular brackets rigidly mounted thereon, a cross bar fixedly secured to said brackets, inclined guide members secured to the coach and adapted to receive said cross bar, a link fixedly secured to one end of said cross bar and a level articulated with saidlink and extending above the platform of the coach whereby said cross bar may be moved lengthretract said a brace member connecting said link with the opposite end of said cross bar and a fulcrumed lex'er articulated with said link and extended above the platform of the coach for moving said cross bar lengthwise of said guide members to extend or retract said extension step.

ARTHUR CABELL.

lVitnesses R. J. C0011, E. B. HERALD.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. C. 

